Sunday 16 September 2007

Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist

This is an album that arrived with some expectations. Sidelined for a few years with a band injury, Corgan comes back with a new venture for the old brand. And it kicks off with a noisy stormer.

"Doomsday Clock" is the old "Gish" style Sabbath noisenick. Let's just say straight out that the lyrics are best avoided for a good reas before bedtime, betraying as they do a somewhat pessimistic outlook ideal for the 15 year old male. Yet Corgan sings with a dispassionate aspect that belies that gloom.

In fact the lyrics seem ambivalent throughout. "kafka would be proud" he claims (unlikely, Bill) but whether it is of BC "enjoying life in every way" or that he is "certain of the end" is slightly unclear.

"Shades of Black" is another ... the lyrics are definitely not going to be the attraction of this band. More, as usual, it's the way BC manages to pervert the Heavy Rock script to musical twists and turns that are innately poppy. Sorry to have to confess but it is all quite enjoyable. In fact with lines like "belle of the fawning/i'm yawning", I'd have to conclude that Mr Corgan keeps my entertainment high on his priorities at all times.

Somehow, though, Smashing Pumpkins albums carry an atmosphere, a style, a sense of place and tracks like "Bleeding the orchid" evoke other eras... and definitely a big part of this is BC's voice. It's a whine of course but a very musical one. He manages to evoke world weariness but with something mysterious, an undicovered country, and when he does this he elevates SP's music above the genre.

He has a gift to do something Hendrix was able to, evoke another place, another time, a musical landscape of his own.

If you have never heard Smashing Pumpkins, well, what you get is noisy heavy rock with real melodies, some soft parts showing real tenderness, but the standout characteristic of this band is the variety of the musical ideas. There is always change and melody, whatever happens, and Billy rescues the genre from self parody with a wealth of changes of direction.

Is this as good as previous albums? Well, that's a different question. Pumpkins albums do grow on you but it still seems less of an achievement than, say Siamese Dream, with less pop than Mellon Collie and less tenderness than Adore.

The track "United States" has received a lot of praise and it is a real barnstormer. There is a deliciously dark drum section in the middle and if you are looking for sheer noise and adrenaline it is a highlight. But, as usual, it's not my favourite track by a long way, whereas the more restrained following track "Neverlost" fulfills my needs much better.

In fact Neverlost is a track that might have come from Melon Collie or Adore, and even features some gorgeous synth washes at the back. For me, this track lifts the whole album onto a new plane and reminds me why I bother with SP at all. After all, grunge-noise is not a particularly rewarding box for me to wade through when looking for a CD to play, but this track features everything, marvellous Corgan melodies, wonderful singing and a sense of survival, of "coming through". I only wish it went on another 20 minutes, but if I was making a compilation CD of favourite tracks from recent albums this would be on it.

In fact, the second half of the album is a lot less hardcore than the first, almost as though he is pummelling your senses with brute force before he will show his gentler side. You know the type.

So, what's the verdict? Well, despite the personnel changes it is definitely a Smashing Pumpkins record, adhering to all the core brand values that implies. If you are a person who has all the rest of the Pumpkins records you will doubtless have this one by now, but for young folk new to the Pumpkins it's a good introduction and certainly doesn't miss on any of the big issues. The songs are strong, the instrumentation interesting, Corgan's musical ideas flow freely and there is plenty of rewarding detail for the careful listener as well as instant gratification for the newbie.

Would I dance to "(Come on) let's go" at a disco? Definitely. Despite all the genre's darkness and some fairly gloomy lyrics this is great dance music, just with a pile of guitars thrown in to give it real muscle.

If I had stars to give, like real reviewers do, I'd definitely give a few to this one. This being a low-budget blog, however, there are no stars. Just the words "great stuff."

Great stuff !
 
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